**Shōrino'ba, Bridge of the _Baguyoka_**
A muffled hiss could be heard, signaling the success of the undocking sequence. The dim blue glow of the bridge's tactical lighting illuminated the Na'brel house crest: an eagle soaring in the atmosphere of Orenjiro to signify the family's traditional control over the gas giant. Deck plates shook slightly as the engines lighted up, pushing the ship into a higher orbit and away from the fleet basing structure.

"All ships are reporting green status, we are prepared for jump to Outpost 12." Said the ship's navigator, turning his head to face the Deca-Commander.

"Jump!" yelled Deca-Commander Na'brel, standing up from her chair in a somewhat melodramatic way as was her usual style.

"Jumping!"

The space-time bubble generators of the five destroyers in the Deca-Commander's squadron activated, lifting them up into the fifth dimension. It took nearly two hours for the entire squadron to reach their destination, and the Deca-Commander took that time to research the local Baron's family. He happened to be the last of the Socals, an unfortunate child, to be sure. His parents had died in the First Battle of Shōrino'ba, leaving him as the only remaining Socal. He didn't own any land on the homeworld, and the outpost was all he had left (along with a battleship). To any other species, it would seem odd that the heir to the throne would be sent to protect such an insignificant outpost and man, but in the Abh military, nobody cared about your social status. All that mattered was your rank, because that was a reflection of your combat experience. Favoring nobles and royals would be illogical and dishonorable.

Though it felt like two hours for the crew, it was barely an instant in real space, with the squadron exiting into the battlefield almost exactly when they left for it. Immediately, they got to work. It was a pretty standard op: destroy the enemy.

**Outpost 12, Abh Fringe Space**
The beam impacted the outpost, cutting deep into it's walls. However, something unexpected happened. The entire asteroid it was on erupted in a massive explosion, throwing debris everywhere. They rained down on both fleets, one chunk smashed into another Abh destroyer, the shields overloading so heavily that the entire electrical system of the ship blew out, causing an substance fuel containment breach that resulted in both the debris and the ship erupting in an antimatter detonation. The largest chunk, however, impacted three Roman ships, crushing two entirely and leaving one disabled and leaking atmosphere.

Suddenly, five more ships emerged, their space-time bubble dissipating as their shields came online. A blast of antiprotons came from the bow of each one, striking multiple enemy frigates. The Baron's battleship opened fire with antiproton streamers, ripping deep into the hull of the alien command ship during the short window of opportunity. However, the momentum held by the Abh would be shattered by the alien missile barrage, which struck down the remaining mercenary ships. The shields of the Baron's ship started to glow brighter and brighter as they took hits, coming closer and closer to their breaking point.

**Outpost 12, Bridge of the Baguyoka**
"Alien vessels entering system! Assuming defensive formation, holding their fire!"

"Holding their fire?" Asked Deca-Commander Na'brel in disbelief "Why?"

"Ship profiles are completely unknown, I don't think they're the enemy!"

"Impossible! Another species? Open a channel! We can't let them hear from the enemy first!."

"Channel open, Deca-Commander!"

She stepped up out of her chair, the artificial gravity keeping her from tumbling every time the ship took a hit. Control was transferred to the secondary pilot (The commander usually controls destroyers). The cameras on the bridge turned to record her message, transmitting it to the newly arrived alien fleet.

"This is Deca-Commander Na'brel of the Eight World's Empire, you have trespassed into a battlefield and into the territory of the Socal house! Identify yourselves immediately, or at least send confirmation that you have recieved this message!"